MINNEAPOLIS -- When the Minnesota Vikings signed Linval Joseph to a five-year, $31.25 million early in the 2014 free-agency period, Mike Zimmer knew he might have a rare commodity for his defense. The Vikings had been lacking at nose tackle since Pat Williams left after 2010, and Joseph was one of the first pieces the Vikings added in an effort to mold their defense to Zimmer's specifications.
"I thought he was pretty good," Zimmer said. "Big, physical, fast, great athlete, good kid, strong."
That didn't always come through in Joseph's first year with the Vikings, however.